omnibus PRISM/NSA/free Edward Snowden/encryption tutorial thread

Joking about NSA link list...

this belongs here:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/matmos-covers-bow-wow-wow,100019/

Olaf Koens @obk

Lukin adds: 'He doesn't look very well fed, a skinny guy. But he has a great haircut'

ts: waterface vs crimsonhexagon

― k3vin k., Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

taking sides

eliot argonaut

ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?

ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?

― the late great, Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

As we have seen, however, some governments in Western European and North American states have demonstrated a willingness to act outside the law, and this behavior persists today. This unlawful threat makes it impossible for me to travel to Latin America and enjoy the asylum granted there in accordance with our shared rights.

Man, what does the US have against this guy??

seems like the solution is a non-commercial flight (like morales's) where there might be some flexibility with the flight plan? i'm not sure how that works.

With Napolitano leaving, there are now 15 open top positions in DHS

_ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?

― the late great, Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink_

I am trying to interpret your tone. If what you say is taken at face value, yes. But I sense you're trying to convey some type of befuddlement, shock or surprise. Am I wrong? I had written a rant in response, in case I wasn't, but I don't fully understand ILXor dynamics, so I've chosen to censor myself.
--c21m50nh3x460n

I'm not sure why any reading of this post would merit a rant

eh no offense intended, it was an honest question

from what i can gather russia hasn't cleared him to leave yet?

_ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?
― the late great, Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink_

I am trying to interpret your tone. If what you say is taken at face value, yes. But I sense you're trying to convey some type of befuddlement, shock or surprise. Am I wrong? I had written a rant in response, in case I wasn't, but I don't fully understand ILXor dynamics, so I've chosen to censor myself.
--c21m50nh3x460n

I'm not sure why any reading of this post would merit a rant

Didn't mean to come off accusatory, so my apologies to the late great if I did.

Anyway, here is a video of Snowden's speech, from a Russian newspaper:

http://lifenews.ru/news/116311

How surreal is watching this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXshWGrDEQ

I'm waiting for all the nouveau NSA/PRISM fiction and movies to come out already.

Just look at that lady's eyes.

I'm waiting for all the nouveau NSA/PRISM fiction and movies to come out already.

Had to rewrite the first third of a story I'm working on.

Actually, I'm working on one, as well.

Hope yours turns out better than mine.

Basically, we have to encrypt EVERYTHING

Travellers' mobile phone data seized by police at border - Telegraph

Officers use counter-terrorism laws to remove a mobile phone from any passenger they wish coming through UK air, sea and international rail ports and then scour their data.

It echoes concerns surrounding an almost identical power police can use on the streets of the UK, which is being reviewed by the Information Commissioner.

However, in those circumstances police must have grounds for suspicion and the phone can only be seized if the individual is arrested.

Mr Anderson said: “Information downloaded from mobile phones seized at ports has been very useful in disrupting terrorists and bringing them to justice.

“But ordinary travellers need to know that their private information will not be taken without good reason, or retained by the police for any longer than is necessary.”

Up to 60,000 people a year are “stopped and examined” as they enter or return to the UK under powers contained in the Terrorism Act 2000.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57593688/greenwald-snowden-documents-detail-nsa-blueprint/

I don't think this Greenwald statement will help Snowden get a flight that can find a place to refuel (or make it past the US) and make it South, but who knows.

http://news.yahoo.com/putin-snowden-dubious-present-174832824.html

In comments reported by Russian news agencies during a meeting with students, Putin noted that Snowden flew to Moscow on June 23 "without invitation," intending only to transit to another country.

But Putin says the United States intimidated other countries against accepting Snowden, effectively blocking him from flying further.

"Such a present to us. Merry Christmas," he was quoted as telling the students on the Gulf of Finland island of Gogland.

The NSA article of the day:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23328074

"Fugitive Edward Snowden applies for asylum in Russia"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-committee-holds-hearing-on-nsa-surveillance-programs/2013/07/17/ffc3056c-eee3-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html?hpid=z1

Dem lawmakers claim they will change the Patriot Act. Will see.

FBI cites same old Zazi case to defend NSA, when numerous folks have suggested that Zazi was caught with a flashdrive from which evidence was obtained--not via NSA data collection.

Dem lawmakers claim they will change the Patriot Act.

That trick never works!

these people have ruined the internet as we know it, perhaps forever.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/17/nsa-surveillance-house-hearing

John C Inglis, the deputy director of the surveillance agency, told a member of the House judiciary committee that NSA analysts can perform "a second or third hop query" through its collections of telephone data and internet records in order to find connections to terrorist organizations.

"Hops" refers to a technical term indicating connections between people. A three-hop query means that the NSA can look at data not only from a suspected terrorist, but from everyone that suspect communicated with, and then from everyone those people communicated with, and then from everyone all of those people communicated with.

thanks Government of the world.

rip kevin bacon

Wasn't going to clutter this thread with so many links, but what the hay.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/07/nsa-admits-it-analyzes-more-peoples-data-previously-revealed/67287/

Basically, trails of phone calls are being monitored. so if A phones B, when B phones C is also tracked, and also when C phones D. You know, just in case. *George Dubya laugh*

http://rt.com/usa/obama-ndaa-appeal-suit-229/

"Congress granted the president the authority to arrest and hold individuals accused of terrorism without due process under the NDAA". But Obama said he won't abuse of his power, and all of us should believe him because he has kept all his promises since the start of his reign (whoops.).

http://rt.com/usa/carter-comment-nsa-snowden-261/

Jimmy Carter sayin' it like he sees it. I want to see a face off of Nobel Prize winners: Obama vs Carter. My, how times have changed.

And a bonus, TSA searches valet-parked cars without warning/permission: http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S3101080.shtml?cat=566

(Slightly off-topic, I know.)

war criminal henry kissinger received the nobel peace prize in 1973.

carter otm

(insert usual chomsky diatribe about how all presidents are war criminals, especially jimmy carter)

Was just thinking of that. It's like politics at the core involves a corrupt soul/ideology. You can't win 'em all.

"You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything."

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/snowden-unplugged/dab0de95e248669103f78ad090b63fc75edad001/

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is so concerned about the NSA spying scandal that he thinks it has essentially resulted in a suspension of American democracy.

“America does not at the moment have a functioning democracy,” he said at an event in Atlanta on Tuesday sponsored by the Atlantik Bruecke, a private nonprofit association working to further the German-U.S. relationship. The association’s name is German for “Atlantic bridge.”

omg are they gonna invade france again

This is just going to make the anti-German conspiracy crowd nuts again.

Piece on the radio this morning on how this doofus may have already compromised all his secrets, whether he wanted to or not, because, go figure, Russia ad China spy on people and steal secrets, too.

nice adjective josh. if you startpage "english dictionary" the first result is dictionary.reference.comand and they say

doo·fus:
[doo-fuhs]
noun, plural doo·fus·es.
Slang. a foolish or inept person.

doofus (?du?f?s):
informal chiefly (US) a slow-witted or stupid person

that is the last thing that comes to mind when someone says Edward Snowden. I guess since I'm not one of the 300+ million lucky people allowed by birth? divine right? to intercept the entire communications of planet earth, to decide the meaning of words and vote for those who later arbitrarily decide who gets killed by economic sanctions / bombs / flying robots based on aristocratic interests I will just keep quiet and try my best to avoid this spectacle of horror.

Wolves, I actually thought along similar lines, but I didn't want to shake the boat.

Then I thought, well, he did create a dead man's switch, which might be an indication that there is information he doesn't want to necessarily release, but which I think is now out of his hands, in a roundabout way.

So, yes, I agree. To call Snowden a 'doofus' sounds silly, but he might've made a mistake if the above is correct.

But we've not got a clue, as his purpose for all of this might be to ultimately release everything and ruin US relationships with just about every single Latin American country and various important trade partners.

Personally, his decision to go with Russia makes sense to me, even though there are drawbacks/trade-offs.

Wolves, I don't understand your post. Personally, I don't care where he ends up or what he leaks, if that's your issue. I just meant that he's been trying to land asylum in Russia, and Russia said it would only grant him asylum on condition he stop leaking. But if his stuff has been stolen or compromised, then he obviously has no power to stop it from leaking. Which may screw him out of Russian asylum. Hence, doofus, since his sloppiness (maybe) will prevent him from getting what he wants. He's not slow-witted or stupid, but he certainly may have been foolish or, ultimately, inept.

Here's a good one from yesterday:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/18/white-house-silent-renewal-nsa-court-order

At Wednesday's hearing, Litt was asked by Bob Goodlatte, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, if the administration thought if a surveillance program "of this magnitude … could be indefinitely kept secret from the American people?"

"Well," Litt replied, "we tried."

I want to see these people (officials and senators) faces on huge posters with what they did and plan to do with the NSA.

Freeway billboards in California!

"I'm Keith B. Alexander, and I lost 50 pounds with the Lap-Band™! I read your email."

Wolves, I don't understand your post. Personally, I don't care where he ends up or what he leaks, if that's your issue. I just meant that he's been trying to land asylum in Russia, and Russia said it would only grant him asylum on condition he stop leaking. But if his stuff has been stolen or compromised, then he obviously has no power to stop it from leaking. Which may screw him out of Russian asylum. Hence, doofus, since his sloppiness (maybe) will prevent him from getting what he wants. He's not slow-witted or stupid, but he certainly may have been foolish or, ultimately, inept.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, July 19, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My interpretation of the situation is this: now that Snowden has leaked everything, he can happily agree to Russia's orders, since he has nothing else to leak. The question is whether Snowden purposely leaked everything in order to make it public or if he wants some of it unreleased or used kind of like 'blackmail'. Personally, I believe he wants all of it released, so it is just how it will be released, whether it is by someone killing him or a third-party releasing it. I think it's kind of an all-or-nothing thing. The release of information is also being carefully planned, so it is spread out in various intervals, because if everything was released from the get-go, people would forget about it. The way it is being released now, bit by bit in intervals, it's a constant reminder to society of the monster that is the NSA. Also, it serves as a game where the US gov't tries to rationalise, defend, and justify its actions, and then more info is leaked that shows that the US gov't is constantly lying.

I think it is mind game for him and a way to release himself morally, at least partially, from whatever harm the US gov't now may suffer due to his leaks. Russia knows this. Russia still does not play well with the US and if anything atrocious is released about the US, Russia can say Snowden agreed to no longer release info which he had control of henceforth. It is a very sneaky strategy, but it works.

I think he must be aware that the "russians" are just as bad as the "americans and partners" or the "chinese" and the switch is insurance against them all.

this is not about the people, you or me wherever we are, problem is what appear to be national governments, and who they represent. "they" have the same interests against "us". tectonic movements. thanks to this poor man, we know for certain that the structure is already in place, it works. on the other side, notice the ever increasing number of spontaneous mass insurrections from such disparate places? europe, middle east, latin america. it is not coincidence IMHO.

Does anyone really believe that Putin cares if he leaks more information or not? I assumed he just said that to mollify Obama and he'll either give Snowden asylum or not based on whatever practical political calculations are important to him.

Earlier in this thread Josh was busy carrying on regarding how Snowden should have foreseen in advance everything that has happened. I am now waiting to read "Snowden awaits a meeting in Russian airport with ilxor Josh in Chicago. Josh is the world's foremost expert on how and what one should leak and whistleblow, where one should announce that from, and how to seek asylum, and how to secure all the remaining information one has on their person."

Eh, who gives a fuck. I know because I am Snowden. There, I said it. Encrypt this, dorks.

what is the prerequisite to making a determination on what one should leak and whistleblow? surely this is an issue of personal morality